ATMs

Inventor Luther Simjian moved to America from Armenia at the age of just 16. He later took over 200 different patents for inventions that ranged from flying simulators to computerized indoor golf ranges. In 1939 Simjian started planning the world’s first working ATM. However, only in the 1960s was he able to get a New York City bank (today’s Citicorp) to install his invention in their branches. The machine was not trusted by the public. “It seems the only people using the machines were a small number of prostitutes and gamblers who didn’t want to deal with tellers face to face,” Simjian revealed.